Who is NDEO? Getting to Know NDEO Members
Why is NDEO membership important?
NDEO is often described as an organization 鈥渇or the members, by the members.鈥� As a membership organization, we rely on revenue from member dues to help support our advocacy work and provide the infrastructure we need to keep the organization running. We rely on our members to work with the staff to provide leadership and service that helps us fulfill our mission to advance dance education for all people. Most importantly, a strong member base is a signal to donors, funding organizations, legislatures, partners, and other stakeholders that our cause is important and our work is valued.
Who are NDEO members?
NDEO members are dance educators, dance artists, administrators, college dance students, professionals, and advocates working in diverse environments. They represent dance studios, K-12 education, professional preparation programs, performing arts organizations and academies, professional dance companies, college and university dance programs, and cultural and community programs. They collectively teach, create, and perform all genres of dance. NDEO members are diverse in age, gender, socioeconomic status, ability, and ethnicity and live in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and throughout the international community. With diverse backgrounds and interests, NDEO members create a rich community of individuals and institutions dedicated to advancing dance education centered in the arts.
Getting to know some NDEO members
In this blog series, we will be sharing updates from NDEO members about their work, practices, and accomplishments. These members replied to NDEO鈥檚 call for submissions in early 2025. Each month, we plan to share another blog post introducing more members. Five members are featured in this post: Ashley Caldeira, Alfonso Cervera, Denise Garvin, Hilarie Neely, Corrine Oliver, and Yvonne Racz.
Ashley Caldeira
In the past year, I expanded my dance company by creating a new ensemble section, transforming both our structure and community impact. This tier bridges the gap between our training program and main company roster, creating pathways for dancers with great potential who need additional experience before advancing. This initiative has created opportunities for talented dancers from underprivileged backgrounds who previously couldn't access the intensive training required for company. acceptance. Through subsidized training, flexible rehearsal schedules, and mentorship, we've removed barriers that prevented these students from pursuing their artistic aspirations. Watching these ensemble members grow has been incredibly rewarding. Dancers who might never have performed are now thriving onstage, developing confidence that extends beyond dance. They bring fresh perspectives that enrich our artistic voice. This change has created a more inclusive environment where dancers at all levels support each other while helping us reach previously disconnected audiences.- Ashley Caldeira, Dance Program Director, Norwich Free Academy, CT (Ashley picture left, photo by Jaqlin Medlock Photography)听
Alfonso Cervera
Cervera is currently exploring the intersections of dance and visual impairment, drawing from his lived experience with a visually impaired mother and a deep understanding of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). His latest work investigates how movement can be felt, heard, and experienced beyond sight, incorporating sensory-based methodologies that challenge traditional notions of dance spectatorship. Rooted in folklorico, this project reclaims space and time in new ways, using the rhythmic footwork and embodied storytelling of Mexican Ballet Folklorico as a means of navigating memory, loss, and cultural continuity. By expanding folklorico鈥檚 expressive potential, Cervera reimagines it as a tactile and sonic language, one that speaks to Mexican American identity not just through visibility, but through a deeply embodied, intergenerational, and adaptive practice. - Alfonso Cervera, Assistant Professor of Dance, The Ohio State University, OH (Alfonso pictured right, photo by Robbie Sweeny)
Denise Garvin
When we started our competition and performance team three years ago, we had 15 students. This year, we grew to 23 students! When I started teaching at the YMCA 17 years ago, the program was known as a recreational dance program with 21 students. Today, our team competes with local studios and the program has 123 students. We have also had several of our dancers go on to dance on college teams and receive scholarships in dance. - Denise Garvin, Program Director, Lake County YMCA, OH (Students pictured left)
Hilarie Neely
We are very proud of our most current school dance enrichment tour January, 2025 through our local Blaine County School District, Idaho. Performed for 1,500 students, our production 鈥淟ITERACY/CREATIVITY鈥� was presented in a narrative format supporting the dance genres of ballet, modern, jazz, tap and hip hop. We took inspiration from five stories: 鈥淕oodnight Moon鈥� by Margaret Wise Brown, 鈥淚t Feel From the Sky鈥� by Terry Fan, 鈥淪py School鈥� by Stuart Gibbs, 鈥淔ancy Nancy鈥� by Jane O鈥機onnor and 鈥淓xcuse Me As I Kiss the Sky鈥� by Rudy Francisco. We had book covers made that hung on the stage for each book inspiration. Our show brings dance to the stage looking through the lens of arts: music, dance, drama, creative writing, visual arts. Once the idea is incubated and music chosen, the creative process continues with the dancers. Dance being a universal language that we can all understand, we discover new ways to tell a story. - Hilarie Neely, Artistic Director, Footlight Dance Centre, ID (Students pictured right, photo by Amy G. Taylor)
Corrine Oliver
Every year, our district鈥檚 dance companies come together to put on a Charity Dance Concert. This year my school hosted the event. I was really proud of my students and how much extra time they put in to make the show a success! Our chosen charity was the Spina Bifida Association of Arizona and we ended up raising $1300.00 in ticket sales to give to the charity. Seeing all the students come together and work hard that day was inspirational. We started early in the morning, learning an opener and a closing dance number that included all the Mesa District High School dance companies. - Corinne Oliver, Dance Teacher, Skyline High School/Mesa Public Schools, AZ
Yvonne Racz
As a Fulbright Scholar in 2024, I had the privilege of teaching ballet at the Hungarian Dance University in Budapest, Hungary. This institution, known for its world-class training, offers unique degree tracks in ballet, contemporary, jazz, and folk dance. While rooted in the Vaganova style, the university encourages exposure to diverse teaching methods and global perspectives. During my time there, I introduced my teaching methodology, "Balancing Balanchine," which merges Balanchine's technique with a focus on muscle and bone mechanics. This method aims to enhance technical execution while prioritizing safety, artistry, and long-term physical health. My goal was to help dancers perform efficiently and develop their unique artistic voices. I realized my role was not only to refine their technique but to reignite their joy for dance. This experience deeply enriched my teaching, and I continue to build on it as a National Visiting Fellow at the School of American Ballet. - Yvonne Racz, Artistic Director of Ballet Lubbock and Faculty at Texas Tech University, TX (Students pictured right)
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Join the community - become an NDEO member!
Are you ready to join the NDEO community? We are ready to welcome you! Join dance educators, dance artists, administrators, college dance students, professionals, and advocates working in dance studios, K-12 education, professional preparation programs, performing arts organizations and academies, professional dance companies, college and university dance programs, and cultural and community programs. Our community is made up of members who are diverse in age, gender, socioeconomic status, ability, and ethnicity who are teaching, creating, and performing all genres of dance. We believe that our community is made better through diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and interests - including yours! Visit our Membership page to learn more and sign up today!
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杨贵妃传媒視頻 NDEO鈥檚 Dance Education Blog听
The 鈥淒ance Education鈥� blog is brought to you by The National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), a thriving non-profit membership organization that supports YOU as a dance educator! NDEO works with and for dance educators of all backgrounds and in every setting and genre. We work for equitable and accessible dance education for all through advocacy, research, and support for the dance educators who are making a difference for their students. As a membership organization, we rely on dance educators like YOU to join us in this important work! When you become a member of NDEO, you align yourself with our vision of dance education for all. We invite you to become a part of our vibrant community that offers support, resources, advocacy, and research you need to make a difference for yourself and make an impact on our field. Now more than ever, we need to come together to celebrate and share the dynamic, affirming, community-building, transformative power of dance. Join the movement - become a member of NDEO today!